


A Guardian Angel and a Smile

by BabyChocoboAlchemist



Series: Leon and Chris Tell Each Other Things [2]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26572126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: Claire’s brother cupped his friend’s face.“If you feel like you’re broken, I’ll put you back together. Over and over again. I don’t care how many times it takes. I don’t care if it takes me the rest of my life. I’ll help you to feel like you’re whole again. I swear it.”-----------Post Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil: Vendetta. After rescuing Leon from certain death at the hands of a new threat, Chris visits him in the hospital. Cue Leon being wounded and vulnerable, while Chris is warm and affectionate towards him.Just two men finding comfort and love in each other's arms. Inspired by Piers Nivans.
Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Chris Redfield
Series: Leon and Chris Tell Each Other Things [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933945
Kudos: 36





	A Guardian Angel and a Smile

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for being here! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> These events take place shortly after Resident Evil 6. Chris references the events of Resident Evil: Vendetta at the beginning of this piece. Leon is sent undercover to deal with an unnamed threat, because I would like you to choose the name of the new threat by yourselves, or perhaps use a form of bioterrorism that’s already in the series. 
> 
> TW: PTSD, vegan vs meat-eater conversation, mentions of torture
> 
> The final notes were inspired by StarsintheCloset. :)

_We were tangling with the threat of the Animality Virus and Glenn Arias. Our paths converged, and everything promptly fell into place. The moment our eyes met, everything stopped. It was just for a moment, but in that space, in that one breath we shared, everything felt new. Real. Frightening but clear, all at once. I hadn’t felt anything like it before._

_I remember everything about that moment, right down to the last detail. The earth was still, but energy pulsed through the air like electricity. I was in tune with everything and nothing at all, except for the sight of his face. I couldn’t explain what was going on. I still can’t. I just know that it felt like being suspended in mid-air, meeting him at the end of the world. Seeing someone that made me question the line between reality and dreams. And nothing I did, nothing I said, helped me cope with the blurred line between what we could see and the unimaginable. We were already dealing with the unthinkable. Standing so close to him reminded me of how I had gone beyond the point of no return, of how nothing would ever make any sense again._

_It was a day that changed all of us. Changed the course of history. And at the end of that long, painful battle, he smiled at me. It was something that let me know everything was going to be alright, his smile. The faint glimmer of light in his eyes. We were exhausted, and had been through Hell, but he smiled at me. And it was in that smile I found the strength to go on. The strength to keep on fighting. If he could keep up the good fight, so could I._

_We haven’t been able to team up too many times since then, but I haven’t forgotten. I haven’t forgotten that smile, or how he helped the team. How he helped my sister, Claire. He worked his ass off for us, and that’s not anything I’m bound to forget, any time soon. I also haven’t forgotten how he and Piers saved me._

_That’s right. Piers. Piers and Leon pulled me out of the gutter, when all I wanted to do was lay down and die. He doesn’t know it-Hell, neither of them know they saved me. I thank Piers all of the time for saving me. I just hope my friend hears me. As for Leon, I haven’t told him a damn thing yet. But I’m going to. I tried to keep everything hidden. Tried to hold it all back. But with the world caving in on us again, and after losing the best soldier I’ve ever had the honor of working with, I’m not going to turn my back on the truth ever again. I’d sooner die._

_I played the coward once. That’s not a role I intend on going back to, any time soon._

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Footsteps landed against the hospital floors, quiet yet thunderous. The storm brewing inside and outside was a low rumble, quiet yet powerful tremors that would continue to pillage the earth for hours. Despite the BSAA’s most recent threat being temporarily subdued, time and fate still felt as though they were suspended on strings, mere threads that would break under a mere glance. And it was on those fragile grounds Chris Redfield stormed through the hospital, frantically searching for one man. It was an interlude from his current mission-one that wasn’t fated to last long, but one he would take full advantage of.

Ingrid Hunnigan contacted him an hour again regarding a certain man’s condition. As she had countless times in the past, she supervised Leon on his most recent mission-but ended up guiding a friend of his through the storm. Leon was summoned to silence a new form of bioterrorism, unholy creatures capable of things far beyond the realm of human comprehension, and succeeded in putting an end to some of their goals-but ultimately fell victim to the newborn realm of scum. He was abducted by the overseers of the new threat, forced into a place far away from human eyes, and subjected to ongoing torture. Fortunately, salvation was able to land on the scene, in the form of the BSAA. With Hunnigan’s intervention, Chris and his soldiers were able to pinpoint the missing agent’s location, and made haste to where he was being held. Chris physically wrenched Leon from the jaws of Hell himself, with less than zero regard for his own safety. And on that note, the White House agent was rushed to the nearest medical facility.

With no small amount of reluctance, Chris returned to the mission at hand. Leon was safe and secure-of that, there was no doubt. But not knowing of the horrors he was forced to endure, and knowing he couldn’t be by his friend’s side, both served to be aggravating truths. Thinking of Leon as he returned to the battlefield, Chris asked Hunnigan to let him know the moment anything happened to the bedridden brunette. And she did.

Hunnigan, Claire and Chris’ men had already visited him. They awaited the future with bated breath in the waiting room, anxious, excited, worried. Claire’s brother sped by other BSAA agents and hospital staff, knowing they wouldn’t have much time together but hoping, pleading with whatever was up there for a chance to see Leon’s smile again. Hoping Leon would be-

Awake.

The earth beneath him stopped. Time stopped. Chris’ heart flew through his throat as he stood, rooted to the earth. Leon was there, right there, eyes closed, not at all far that time, so close. Safe. Secure. Eyes closed. Not moving. Not speaking, not seeing, not _smiling._

A name left the Redfield’s lips as a plea, a hymn. _”Leon!”_

Time crawled. Leon Scott Kennedy slowly sat up, rubbing at his eyes, then turned to face the BSAA agent standing in the doorway. He blinked, trying to make sense of who he was, of why a certain man was standing in the doorway, and of where he himself had come from.

“What did you do, _run_ all of the way here?”

Strong, protective arms were cast around the Kennedy in a heartbeat. Leon found it difficult to breathe but made no attempt to break free. Chris wrapped his hands about the back of his friend’s head and made it so the brunette’s head rested against his chest-another move Leon did not discourage. It was there they remained, quiet, safe, secure, in a moment they desperately needed. It must’ve taken years to reach that moment, that moment in which Leon’s eyes were open. “How are you feeling?” Claire’s brother asked, his voice quiet but frantic. “Are you alright? You aren’t in any pain, are you?”

Leon lifted his head a little and blinked, eyes burrowing into Chris’, ten times too small and helpless. “Just tired,” the Kennedy admitted, tugging on his friend’s collar, and of that there was no doubt. He was exhausted, beaten thoroughly and beaten raw, his eyes a portrait of the weariness that permeated his very being.

“You didn’t have to rush all the way here, just to see me. I’m not going anywhere, you know. How are the others?”

Chris’ response was immediate. “They’re fine,” he assured the other, landing his hands on Leon’s shoulders. “In dire need of a vacation, but they’re hanging in there. They’re all worried about you, though. So take it easy. There’s no need to worry about them. You know as well as I do that there’s never a reason to worry about Claire. And I’ll keep the others safe. Promise.”

“She didn’t drive you crazy, did she? Hunnigan?”

Ah. She must’ve clued her original partner in on what happened. “Not at all,” Chris said, shaking his head with a small smile. “Matter of fact, I think I’ve got another sister on board. She was strong, kept a clear head and was _more_ than helpful out there.”

A small, weak chuckle popped out of Leon’s mouth. “Must’ve been a different Hunnigan.” He fell silent for a moment, returning his head to his friend’s chest, feeling much too small, so small and delicate. “Hey,” he murmured a moment later. “Mind telling me why you’ve got an angel on your chest?”

Ah. The angel. A reference to the little charm Chris wore. “It’s in honor of a very dear friend, who also happened to be the _greatest_ soldier I ever met,” the Redfield began, his voice soft, soothing, gentle. “Piers Nivans. A young man that was a much greater hero than I could _ever_ hope to be. One of the many soldiers I lost against the C-Virus, and someone I don’t intend to forget in this lifetime. I’ve never believed in fairy tales, and I don’t plan on starting any time soon, but he was my guardian angel. A friend that was always by my side, no matter _how_ crazy things got.” He then bowed his head a little, eyes glazing over with sadness, pride, memories. Leon let out another small chuckle.

“This Piers of yours was a real winner.”

“He was and always will be. When I was at my worst, the two of you pulled me out of the gutter.”

Noting the confusion on Leon’s face, Chris continued. “I lost all of my men except Piers in Edonia. The shock of it was so great, I found it _impossible_ to look in the mirror for what felt like _forever._ And then I disappeared. I lost myself. My name, everything. You were all I remembered. All I could see. Even when I was at my breaking point. And after my right-hand man and I ran into you in China, I remembered something _else._ I remembered wanting to see your smile again.”

Helplessness and shock enveloped Leon’s face, bestowing it with an uncharacteristic, fragile pallor. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for words, for release, for clarity. The ceiling of his hospital room was caving in on him, his chest was caving in on him, and the ground beneath them was disappearing as the Redfield spoke. Nothing made sense and everything was frightening, exhilarating, confusing, wondrous, all at once. “You’re going to be alright, Leon,” Chris murmured, running a hand through his visibly alarmed friend’s hair.

“You’ve got _nothing_ to worry about. My sister, my men and I will take care of what’s left. I’m sure you’re going to be _thrilled_ when I tell you this, but Hunnigan’s going to stay here and look after you. Everything’s going to be just fine. I promise. Nothing’s going to hurt you ever again. Not on my watch.”

Leon grimaced as everything became loud, quiet, familiar and too confusing, light and heavy. He didn’t have any words in any language to convey what he felt, how heavy he felt, and how he wanted nothing more than to just fall apart. To breathe would’ve been to experience a luxury, a key to salvation. A soft, soothing voice asked him if he was in any pain, if he needed medical attention, but he shook his head, not needing anything but the opportunity to come undone. “I don’t get it,” the Kennedy admitted, his voice small, hoarse, trembling, somehow able to form comprehensive sentences.

“Nivans was and still _is_ a big deal to you, but you’re talking to _me_ as though I’m _more_ than a friend. I’m not picking up ‘friend’ vibes here.”

Chris made it so their foreheads met. “Leon, I _do_ have something to tell you, but it’s not important right now.”

Leon’s response was immediate. “It _is_ important. It is if it’s what I _think_ it is. And you can’t. Chris, you can’t. If you know what you’re doing, you _can’t._ I can’t let you.”

Before Claire’s brother could counter, the brunette lowered his head, trembling, tears burning the edge of his eyes, everything within him breaking. Screaming.

“I’m not okay. Not that I ever was, but it’s so clear to me now. I’m really _not okay._ And I can’t let you get caught up in this. I can’t. I don’t want to.”

“Leon-”

“I lost the _President._ The goddamn _President,_ Chris. And after what they did to me-I can’t. I can’t. There are just some things you can’t put back together, and I’m _one_ of them. I’m broken.”

Another immediate counter-attack, that one coming from Chris. “Bullshit! You’re anything _but_ broken, Leon! How do I know? Because even now, I see the same light, the same _fire_ I fell in love with a long time ago!”

The brunette that was so close froze. The world around them froze, becoming nothing but a maddening, deafening blur, one filled with the humming of nearby computers and soft lights. Their eyes remained locked on each other, one filled with tears and pain, the other filled with frustration, sadness and a lust for vengeance. “I don’t know what bullshit they put you through,” Chris went on, seizing the other by the shoulders. “And words won’t _ever_ do justice to how sorry I am for not being able to stop it sooner. If I could cut my heart out to undo everything you went through, I’d do it in a fucking _heartbeat._ With a goddamn _toothpick._ But you aren’t broken. You never will be. You’re here with me right now, fighting, trying so damn hard to hold on. You’re in pain, I know you are, but I’m here and I’ll do _everything_ in my power to make it right. On my honor as a member of the BSAA, and as Piers’ friend.”

Silence returned to their little corner of the world, once again. Leon kept his head bowed, eyes hidden from view, thin body shivering, tears falling, raining onto the world below. He trembled, bled, screamed, hurt, wanted, tried to fight everything off but couldn’t.

“Chris?”

The Redfield’s voice was soft, warm, so incredibly warm. “What? I’m here, Leon. Right here.”

Leon, the normally calm and composed Leon Scott Kennedy, gave Chris Redfield a look that broke his heart. Then buried his face in the BSAA agent’s chest and wept. Every memory, from the oldest to the newest, spilled out of him and onto his friend’s chest. Chris held him without complaint, rocking him back and forth, caressing his back with strong yet soft, kind hands. “I’m a mess, aren’t I?” the Kennedy asked, his voice a jumbled mess of tears, pain and exhaustion.

“No, not what I consider a mess, anyway. Wanna know what a _real_ mess is? Cheese and veggie omelet MREs.”

“Sounds delightful,” the White House agent chuckled, the sound a delicate, weary, tearful one. “Don’t tell me you’ve eaten one of those.”

“Wasn’t by choice, let me tell you. One of my men ate one and didn’t complain. I told him he must’ve been some kind of superhuman or something.”

“Wanna know what the worst thing I ever ate was? A jelly-filled donut.”

“Seems pretty _tame_ by comparison.”

“Not when you remember what we work with. On a regular basis. I’m thinking about going vegan.”

“Seriously? You’re willing to give up the greatest food known to mankind?”

“Oh? And what’s _that,_ if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Cheeseburgers. Hot dogs. Can’t watch a baseball game without a hot dog.”

The Kennedy lifted his head with a scowl. “For your information, there _are_ vegan hot dogs. And not _everything_ has to be about cheeseburgers.” He sighed, suddenly feeling even smaller, weaker. “Chris, you talked a _lot_ about me helping you, but it seems like it’s the other way around.”

Chris chuckled, eyes twinkling with infinite warmth despite the weariness that permeated them. “Don’t sell yourself short. Pretty strange, I know, but you and Piers _did_ set me free.” He then answered a quick call from his commander, briefly discussing updates on their current mission. Leon kept a set of wide, frightened eyes on Chris as he carried himself through the call, sharing recent updates on the current landscape. A lot of loose ends still needed to be dealt with. “Don’t worry about what I said,” the Redfield prompted him, his voice still kind, still soothing, still so warm. 

“Not right now. Respond to me whenever you’re ready. Doesn’t matter if it’s next week, an hour from now, or two years from now. I’ll wait. I promise.”

“I...I already...have an answer. It’s just...I...goddammit, I’m scared. _Terrified.”_

Claire’s brother cupped his friend’s face. “If you feel like you’re broken, I’ll put you back together. Over and over again. I don’t care how many times it takes. I don’t care if it takes me the _rest_ of my life. I’ll help you to feel like you’re whole again. I swear it.”

The brunette chuckled, shaking his head, feeling as though he’s coming undone and being put back together, all at once. “I don’t think we could go back to being friends if we tried. Not with the way you’re talking to me. I just don’t want-”

“You don’t have to want for anything. It’ll be alright, Leon. I promise. I’ll keep you safe. I promised Piers I’d never fail anyone else ever again, and you’re pretty high on that list of people I don’t intend to fail.”

Leon laughed, tears falling, burning everything within and beneath him, everything bleeding, screaming, falling. “Guess I was wrong about Nivans, then, since you’re coming onto _me._ But you _do_ realize that’s a pretty tall order, right? Keeping me safe? In our little corner of the world, ‘safe’ isn’t anywhere on the menu. I don’t want you to feel like you-”

Not another word was spoken. Chris cupped his friend’s face again and rammed his lips against his. Leon, terrified, hopeful, reborn Leon, returned the kiss. 

They kissed, fell into each other, lost all sense of time and space while falling into each other, and knew nothing else.

**Author's Note:**

> These events take place shortly after Resident Evil 6. In the wake of these events, Leon and Chris find time to date in between Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 8. It’s not a very long time, as they barely have time to breathe thanks to their jobs, and Leon spends some much-needed time recovering from his abduction, but it’s time they treasure. They’re awkward and clumsy on their dates, as they’re so accustomed to being on their jobs and doing absolutely nothing else, but they make the most of their time together. Chris is definitely the more romantic one of the two, a doting, patient boyfriend, while Leon’s very much like a child learning how to walk. But as a member of the BSAA comments, they’re very much in love with each other.
> 
> Leon eventually buys himself an angel pin, as a thank-you to Piers Nivans. So does Claire.


End file.
